Walz's Dangerous Liaisons: Minnesota Governor's Ties to China Under Scrutiny

A House investigation is examining Tim Walz's alleged connections to China and CCP-linked entities, including a medical research institute with a controversial relationship with the Pentagon and the Chinese Communist Party.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, the running mate of Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, has been embroiled in a House investigation into his alleged ties to China and entities linked to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Walz's long-standing support for the Hormel Institute, a medical research center in Minnesota, has come under scrutiny due to its extensive collaborations with Beijing Genomics Institute (BGI). The Pentagon has labeled BGI as a "Chinese military company," and concerns have been raised about its potential role in collecting genetic data for the Chinese government.

Beyond its ties to BGI, the Hormel Institute has also faced questions surrounding its former executive director, Dr. Zigang Dong. Dong abruptly resigned in 2019 amid an FBI investigation into his alleged failure to report foreign backing when applying for grants. While at Hormel, Dong established the China-US (Henan) Hormel Cancer Institute (CUHCI), a partnership involving Wang Yanling, a Communist Party doctor, and members of the CCP on its board of directors.

Walz's Dangerous Liaisons: Minnesota Governor's Ties to China Under Scrutiny

Despite stepping down from Hormel, Dong's connections to CUHCI have continued. In 2022, the institute in China published a study involving Dong and genetic sequencing provided by BGI. Walz has frequently praised the work of Dong and the Hormel Institute, securing significant funding for its expansion and technology acquisitions.

Federal Election Commission filings show that Dong has been a longtime financial supporter of Walz's political career, contributing over $200 to his congressional campaigns since 2005. As a congressman, Walz played a role in securing federal funding for the Hormel Institute and praised its efforts to secure funding support from its leaders.

Walz's Dangerous Liaisons: Minnesota Governor's Ties to China Under Scrutiny

Experts have warned that the CCP is actively involved in subverting U.S. foreign policy through cancer research centers like the Hormel Institute. Michael Sobolik, a senior fellow in Indo-Pacific Studies, believes that Beijing seeks to leverage research for military purposes, potentially including immunizing its population against radiation poisoning in a nuclear war.

Dong appears to be linked to the CCP's "Thousand Talents Plan," a program that incentives its members to steal foreign technologies for China's military and economic advancement. In 2018, Dong participated in a conference in Beijing alongside Professor Liu Yuanli, who is openly associated with the program.

Walz's Dangerous Liaisons: Minnesota Governor's Ties to China Under Scrutiny

Walz worked as a teacher in China in 1989 and has made dozens of trips to the country since then. He has publicly expressed admiration for China's treatment of him and disagreement with the view that it should be considered an adversarial relationship.

The House Oversight Committee is probing Walz's connections to China, including his alleged "longstanding connections" to CCP-linked entities. The investigation seeks to determine whether Walz's support for the Hormel Institute and his past associations with Chinese officials present any conflicts of interest.

Walz's Dangerous Liaisons: Minnesota Governor's Ties to China Under Scrutiny

The Hormel Institute in Minnesota has stated that it is no longer affiliated with the Hormel Cancer Institute in China and that cease and desist letters have been sent to the Chinese institute. The spokesperson did not provide details on the timing of the disassociation or the Hormel Institute's current connections to BGI.